Being alone can be scary, even when you have a partner. But making your partner responsible for all your hopes and for your personal value can lead to disappointment, emotional turmoil, and dissatisfaction. If you’ve ever questioned your value as a person when you’re not with your partner, this section is for you.

Signs that you may need your partner too much:

"I’ll go wherever you go!" Because you find being alone difficult, you can be tempted to do anything to keep your partner close to you.

A few things that might sound familiar:

Go on with your friends. I’ll just stay here by myself and be bored like usual.

If you keep seeing your friends, I’m going to leave you!

If you stay with me instead of going to see your friends, I won’t ever ask you for anything else.

"Do what you want with me..." Do you feel a need to do EVERYTHING and to be EVERYTHING for the other person?

A bottomless pit. Do you feel empty and lonely when your partner's not there?

"I only want to be with you!" Have you stopped seeing your friends and family to be with your partner?

A thousand kisses. Do you need your partner to constantly prove their love for you?

"Never without you!" Are you staying in the relationship even if it’s no longer what you want it to be?

If this sounds familiar, try to identify the problem clearly:

When does it happen? ("When she's with her friends.").

What do you feel? (“I’m sad because I feel like he likes being with his friends more than with me.”).

Is this costing you a lot? (“She gets angry and starts yelling at me when I…”).

What do you want and how can you get it? (“I need to be reassured that he loves me. Maybe I should remind myself of the little things he's done for me”).

Are you expressing yourself clearly? (“I need to know that you love me, even if you feel like spending times with your friends. How can we meet both our needs?”).

"I'M BEING SMOTHERED WITH LOVE!"

A few things to think about:

"What about me?" Do you feel that your needs are respected? It’s okay to express your feelings, too.

It takes two to tango! If you’re always reassuring your partner, are you covering up the problem? You can’t always do everything for your partner.

Off limits! Everyone’s got boundaries and things they want to keep private, even in romantic relationships. What are yours? How do you communicate this?

Together it’s better! What are you willing to do to improve the situation, without taking on everything by yourself?